Animal Well

gneel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122137779#Comment_122137779

I had considered trying that but never got around to it. Does anything happen?

Zero-Cool

So, willy and balls level or happy accident in level design??

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122138241#Comment_122138241

Only the realisation that I’d just wasted 20 mins of my life :)

Penn

Platinumed. Had to look up the location of the last 3 eggs which to my shame, were embarrassingly easy to find. Also had to look up how to do the thing with the eggs. Once I started figuring it out, I realised it would take too long. Then had to start a new save file to get the squirrel trophy but only took a few minutes.

Don't think I'll go for the bunnies. Got two through normal gameplay, but I think I've gotten as much satisfaction from the game as I'm likely to get, and I know I'm unlikely to figure out most of them without online guides.

An absolutely terrific game from start to end. Endlessly charming, superbly designed and ingenious puzzles.

johnny_ultimate

Got up to 56 eggs last night, which I reckon is getting close to the limit of how much I'll discover organically. Have only consulted a guide to point me in the right direction once or twice so far - and in some cases it was just a case of having casually overlooked a different type of tile. Very happy to have figured out most of the puzzles on my own - the room beyond the moving 'rat coffins' in the cat area had been driving me mad for ages, so was very relieved when the solution just suddenly dawned on me.

I'll hopefully wrap up a lot tonight, bar of course the deeper layer of secrets. But beyond that will be happy to finish up, especially as my puzzle mind is already readjusting for another week or two of goblin mode with Lorelei and the Laser Eyes :)

Grumpypants

Only just found that the flute let's you teleport to the fast travel room!! Amazing 😍

Would never have beaten that ghost cat without it. That chase was intense.

Grumpypants

Do you just find the flames or am I meant to collect them somehow? I can't seem to do anything with them.

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122142771#Comment_122142771

You collect them and then there’s a certain point on the map you can interact with once you’ve collected a flame.

Grumpypants

When I stand next to it there's no button prompt. It just says G flame. Do I need a certain tool ?

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122142865#Comment_122142865

To pick it up? Yeah you need to use a tool, although I believe there’s at least two or three that’ll do the job.

johnny_ultimate

All done (well, I'm done even if the game isn't necessarily done). Used a guide for the last half dozen or so eggs, but most were just hidden spinner areas I probably wouldn't have found without a lot of fine tooth combing the map room by room so not too concerned about that!

A superb game all in all - the freshest and most imaginative take on a Metroidvania I've played. Too many get bogged down in combat - even Hollow Knight, but especially the likes of the new Prince of Persia - but this strips that out and boils it down to the exploration and mystery. That's ultimately what the genre is really about, and never has it been more obvious than it is here. It's also a superb puzzle game, of course, layered inside that Metroidvania structure.

I was trying to think of the words to describe what makes it so special, and I think it's a mix of tactility and rewarding curiosity. It's tactile in the sense that it feels great to play, with the solutions - crucially- as delightful to execute as they are to figure out. With rewarding curiosity, it's exactly what that sounds like: the game is always happy to surprise and reward you when you indulge hunches and follow leads. Put those two together, you have something that not only plays wonderfully, but always pays off your willingness to meet it on its terms.

An instant classic, frankly. Now, hoping the imminent Lorelei and the Laser Eyes will keep those puzzle receptors in my brain firing for another week or two :)

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122143839#Comment_122143839

Saw it referred to online as more of a Metroidbrainia.

Grumpypants

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122142879#Comment_122142879

This game is great at making you feel like a genius and next moment very very silly 😀. Figured it out and I've collected all 4 flames now.

It's a masterclass in game design on so many levels they really should have it on the leaving cert.

From the game mechanics that are open and fun to use, to the intuitive design that lets the whole game unfold and teaches you how to play without a single tutorial, to actually just delivering fun through experimentation.

I like reading how others did parts after I've cracked it. And seeing all the different ways people are beating puzzles just shows how good it is. Most of these games lock accessing an area behind having a specific skill or tool.

And while that is here, seeing people talk about beating screens with 4-5 different approaches. With firecrackers, others using a slinky, others a yo-yo and slinky combo, others using bubbles and spinning disk etc. and it's not finding a glitch that lets you "game the system", the game is made like that.

Fantastic stuff.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122144055#Comment_122144055

Some of the non-mandatory tools you find later seem a bit superfluous at first, but each has a secondary usage or affect particular things that really open things up and just make you want to go back through every room to see if it can be used there.

Looking back at PoP: The Lost Crown, backtracking always felt like a bit of a pain in the later stages of the game because of enemies/combat and a lot of complexity and precision required in the long platforming sections, whereas Animal Well never feels like a burden in that regard. All rooms are pretty well laid out usually with multiple routes to get there, aren't overly complex and so it really fosters and encourages going back and exploring the room further when you get a new tool.

Zero-Cool

Some crazy easter eggs and secrets found so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wrg-GTSSAs

recyclops

Picked it up last night and goin in completely blind. Looking forward to it.

Grumpypants

Credits rolled this morning. And straight into another intriguing mystery 😂

Exclamation Marc

One of my games of the year so far. Loved it.

Exclamation Marc

Finally got the platinum trophy. Needed some help with some of the last few eggs and how to get the 'True Ending' but it was quite a fun post-game picking up the rest of the eggs and exploring a bit more.

Will be tough to beat Animal Well for my GOTY.

recyclops

Credits rolled this morning, 25 eggs collected at end game so now the real hunt begins, absolutely stellar game.